September 9, 1924: Chick Hafey Makes His Presence Known

     On September 9, 1924, the Cardinals were playing the part of spoiler, as they took two games from the Pirates at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The first game gave Cardinals fans a glimpse of things to come with a kid by the name of Chick Hafey who had been called up at the end of August. Hafey led the club to a 7-4 victory in the first game, as he drove in six runs with a triple, a home run, and a sacrifice hit. The triple came with the bases loaded in the first, and moments later Hafey scored the fourth run of the inning, as he and his peers were off and running. The future Hall of Famer belted a two run homer in the third. Then picked up his sixth ribbie of the day with a sac fly in the seventh. With the help of some Pirates errors the Cardinals won the second game by the score of 6-4. Hafey capped off the day's production by picking up an RBI in that contest, that had dealt a severe blow to the Pirates hope of a National League pennant.

     The Pittsburgh Press said that Hafey had not been in the major league for a fortnight when he stepped to the dish that September day and dealt the hefty blow to their hopes of October baseball. However, they were not giving up on the season just yet, as they were on the heals of league leading New York Giants. Ultimately they would not catch the Giants. They ended up 3 games back at season's end.  Meanwhile, the 1924 season for the Cardinals was not a great one for the club, as they finished sixth in the standings. However, there were great moments, and personal accomplishments to be celebrated as Rogers Hornsby hit a career high .424 during the campaign. The National League club from St. Louis was laying groundwork for a Championship foundation. Hafey himself would become an integral part of that groundwork, as he had showed very early on that he had what it took to play with the big boys.

Check out the box scores here
Game1: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN192409091.shtml
Game 2: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN192409092.shtml

Check this great video about Hafey out: http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/26196506/v20032941/chick-hafey-played-with-cardinals-from-1924-to-1931

September 8, 1989: Pedro Guerrero Puts an Exclamation Point On a Rally In Wrigleyville

     On September 8, 1989, the Cardinals faced an uphill battle in Chicago, as the division leading Cubs built a 7-1 lead after four innings, before the Birds came storming back with a run in the fifth, four more in the seventh, then five more in the eighth, which led to a huge 11-8 victory. The capper on the comeback was a three run bomb off the bat of Pedro Guerrero that broke up an 8-8 deadlock in the eighth, and proved to be the decider in this one. Guerrero's three run shot was an exclamation point on a 4 for 4 day that ended with five RBIs for the Redbirds first baseman. It was also a spoiler for Chicago's Ryne Sandberg who had went 4 for 5 with two home runs, but could only sit there and watch as his club failed to hold onto what was once a very comfortable lead.

     That win  positioned the Cardinals on the heels of the Cubs, as they trailed them by just a half game after it was put in the books. However, that was as close as they would get as they stumbled through the final month of the season. With that said, Guerrero was a bright spot from that '89 campaign, as he hit .311, with 17 home runs, and 117 RBIs. He also led the league with 42 doubles, and with everything else combined he came in third in the MVP voting. Quite the year for the man who wore the number 28 on his back.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN198909080.shtml

September 7,1949: Stan Musial Night at The Ballpark Is Celebrated With a Wild Ending

     On September 7, 1949, Stan "The Man" Musial night was held at Sportsman's Park. Stan was given $6,000 in savings bonds, as well as a station wagon before the contest against the Cubs, and nine innings later he stood alongside his teammates and celebrated a wild win in front of the crowd of 19,454. Musial went 1 for 3 in the tilt, with his lone hit coming in a scoreless first inning. While he was not able to help put runs on the board. He did do his job in the outfield, and his teammates, along with a bit of luck led to the big a big victory during a heated pennant race.

     The Baby Bears jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fifth, when Hank Sauer came up with a two out RBI single. While there had been some damage done, the Cardinals starter Howie Pollet struck the next man out, and left two men on in the process. The 1-0 deficit became a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the inning, as the Cardinals rookie first baseman Rocky Nelson took Doyle Lade deep. The big fly by Nelson was a blemish on an otherwise spectacular outing by Lade, as it was just one of four hits he had given up until the ninth rolled around. Before the ninth rolled around Lade looked to help his own cause by knocking in the go ahead run with a fielder's choice to give the Cubs a slim 2-1 lead.

     The joy of taking that lead would disappear in the bottom of the ninth, as Nelson led the inning off with a single off of Lade who was hoping for a complete game victory. However it would be Pollett who would be celebrating a complete game with a little help from circumstance. Lade retired a man, before Solly Hemus came through with a single. The Hemus single was followed up by the improbable, as Nippy Jones stepped to the dish as a pinch hitter, and bounced one down the third base line that looked like it was going to turn into a game ending double play. However, the ball hit the bag, and bounced over Bob Ramazzotti's head, which brought Nelson into score the game tying run, while Jones stood at first base relieved that he had not ended it. Lade loaded the bases by putting Red Schoendienst on with an intentional walk to get to Marty Marion who hit a hot shot past third to bring Hemus into the game winning run.

     The 3-2 victory helped the Cardinals maintain a lead in the National League standings that they had held since the mid August. However, the lead was a slim one. The widest margin the team held was just 2.5 games over the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Cardinals maintained the slim edge over Brooklyn until the last week of the season. Then with just four games to go it slipped away. The team hit a four game skid that ended up causing them to finish just one game back of the team from Flatbush. It was a heartbreaking way for the season to end. However, 1949 was a great year in Cardinal Nation. I always like to look at the win totals, and think that each and every victory is a reason to celebrate. I know without a doubt that Stan Musial Night at the ballpark, that featured one wild ending was one of 96 reasons to celebrate that season, and there would be many more wins in the years to come.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194909070.shtml

September 6, 1928: George Harper Blasts a Walk Off In The Tenth

     On September 6, 1928, the Cardinals found themselves trailing the Pirates 3-2 in the bottom of the 10th in St. Louis when George Harper stepped to the plate and hit a pinch-hit two run walk off home run to win it 4-3. The game was a wild one that saw the Cardinals take a 2-0 lead on a two run blast by Chick Hafey in the fifth. It was a mere hiccup for the Pirates starter Burleigh Grimes who kept the Birds off the board, while the Cardinals hurler Clarence Mitchell matched him pitch for pitch. With the 2-0 lead intact Mitchell rolled into the ninth ready to add his tenth win to that season's resume. Paul Waner had other ideas, as he tried to spoil the day by blasting a two run shot to tie it up in the ninth. Grimes who was in search of his 23rd win of the season then came up with what looked to be the game winning single in the top of the 10th inning when he knocked Paul Scott in with a single. However, Grimes had to get three more outs to win this one, and he would fail to do so, as he gave up a single to catcher Jimmie Wilson, before Harper pinch hit for the pitcher and sent the fans home happy with one big swing of the bat.

     The walk off was the second walk off home run of Harper's career. The last time he accomplished the feat was in 1924 when he wore the uniform of the Cincinnati Reds. Harper was a well traveled player who lived the major league dream. He donned the uniform of five different clubs during his career. The year he called Cardinal Nation home he blasted 17 home runs, and was a huge part of a pennant winning ballclub. If you would like to know more about the life and times of George Harper give this a look: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/aa4987d5

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN192809060.shtml

September 5, 1963: Flood and Simmons Help The Winning Streak Stay Alive

     On September 5, 1963, Curt Flood's 5 for 5 day, along with a complete game effort by Curt Simmons highlighted a 9-0 beatdown of the Mets in St. Louis.

     Flood's efforts included a triple, a ribbie, and two runs scored. Tim McCarver also tripled in the contest to open up a 5-0 lead in the seventh, then the Cardinals backstop capped off a four run eighth with a single, which was followed by Flood's fifth hit of the day. While the Cardinals offense was pounding New York's pitching, their batters had no answer for Simmons  who scattered six hits, struck out seven, and did not walk a man.

     The win had extended the Cardinals winning streak to eight straight, and they would win the next game as well to extend it to nine the next day. However, it was also snapped that next day, as the club dropped the second game of a doubleheader to the Pirates in Pittsburgh. At that point it was their longest winning streak of the season, as they made a late charge at the National League Pennant. After losing that second game in Pittsburgh the Cardinals rattled off 10 wins in a row. At the end of that streak they were trailing in the standing by one game.

     Unfortunately the it all came apart right there at the end, as they lost 7 of their last 10, and ended up six games back in the standings. While that might have been the case, the Cardinals finished with a respectable 93-69 record. One year later the club finished with an identical record, but with a little help from the Phillies, and one great stretch of baseball they took the top prize in the National League, and they followed it up by taking the top prize in all of baseball.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196309050.shtml

September 4, 1964: A Walk Off For The Captain

     On September 4, 1964, Ken Boyer capped off a 15-hit attack by knocking in his 100th RBI of the season with a three run walk off bomb that beat the Cubs 8-5 in front of a home crowd in St. Louis. The game also featured one of the most exciting plays in baseball, as "The Moon Man" Mike Shannon stole home in the eighth, before Boyer ended it with his fifth career walk off blast in the ninth. It was more than just the fifth walk off blast for The Captain. It was the final walk off blast during a career that should forever be remembered in Cooperstown, New York.

      The game did not start off well for either starter. Curt Simmons surrendered two runs in the top of the first, but the lead did not stand long for those Baby Bears from the Windy City, as Dick Groat and Bill White came up with RBI singles off of Dick Ellsworth that knotted things right back up in the bottom of the inning. The Birds jumped ahead in the third, when Groat came up with another RBI single that was followed by a double play ball off the bat of Boyer. While Boyer had to be disappointed by the twin killing it was a productive twin killing, as it brought Lou Brock into score from third, to give the Cardinals a 4-2 edge.

     Simmons looked like he had the Cubs number after that first inning. He was cruising through their lineup until the seventh when he gave up a two out single to catcher Jimmie Schaffer. The Cubs second baseman Ron Campbell followed it up with  a double that scored Schaffer to cut the score down to 4-3. The double ended Simmons' day, and Johnny Keane called on reliever Ron Taylor who gave up a pinch hit RBI single to Len Gabrielson. The game was tied, and this one was going to be decided by the bullpens.

     Things got worse before they got better for the Birds. Taylor surrendered a leadoff triple to Ellis Burton in the top of the eighth, which was followed by an RBI single by Billy Williams. The Cubs had a 5-4 edge, with no outs and Williams standing on first. Taylor was able to work his way around it. He sat Ron Santo down with a flyout, struck Ernie Banks out, then worked around an error that put another runner on the basepaths, before recording the last out of the inning. While he was able to work his way around the mess the damage had been done, but this fight was far from over.

     Lindy McDaniel had come in relief of Ellsworth in the seventh, and he struck out the side . The former Redbird came out in the eighth and recorded two quick outs, and they were big outs, as his victims were Boyer and Bill White. McDaniel's problem was his sixth consecutive out never came. Shannon came to the dish, and dropped a single into left, then Keane sent Bob Skinner into pinch hit for Julian Javier.  The move paid off, as Skinner singled to right, which sent Shannon over to third. Moments later Tim McCarver was standing at the dish hoping to tie it up when Skinner and Shannon executed the perfect double steal that tied the ballgame at 5-5. McDaniel finally did get that last out, with a groundout right back to him by McCarver, but the chain of events that preceded it had breathed new life into the surging Cardinals.

     Taylor came on in the ninth, and struck out the first man he faced. He followed up the K with back-to-back walks, and just like that the Cubs were threatening. Keane wasted no time. He called on Gordie Richardson who would record one of his six major league wins that day, which came after he induced an inning ending double play.

    The chess match continued in the bottom of the ninth, as Keane sent Carl Warwick to the plate to pinch hit for Richardson to leadoff the inning. Once again the move he made delivered with a single that came off of reliever Don Elston who had taken over pitching duties for the Cubs. Warwick was moved over to second on a sac bunt by Curt Flood, which spelled the end of Elston's day. The Cubs skipper Bob Kennedy went to a lefty on lefty matchup by calling on John Flavin to pitch to Lou Brock. The move backfired. Brock singled into center, and Flavin's day ended almost as quick as it began, as Kennedy called on his third hurler of the frame by calling on Freddie Burdette. The big righty retired Groat on a fielder's choice that ended up with Warwick being called out at home, before Boyer came to the plate and finished the Cubs off with a big fly into the seats. It had been a battle, and the man that the team called their Captain had ended it with one big swing of the stick. That's the kind of thing an MVP does. It was quite the ballgame, and I'm sure the fans that walked through the turnstiles that day were nothing but smiles as they left the ballpark.

     Boyer is arguably one of the most underrated players of all time. In his 11 seasons with the Cardinals he hit .293, knocked in 1,001 runs, and parked 255 in the seats. What he did in 1964 was put the team on his back throughout and carry them to glory. While every man on that roster is due a large amount of credit, the contributions of The Captain were key in taking that National League Crown. His average in the World Series is very deceiving at .222, because when he did hit they were clutch hits. The grand slam in Game 4 of the series was a pivotal moment, and his three hit performance in Game 7 was a capper to an improbable season in which the stars aligned as Boyer and Birds brought home a ring. When you take your kids down to the ballpark, and you look out at that wall in left, be sure to tell them about each of those men who adorn it, and whatever you do don't forget to tell them about The Captain. When you do, turn and point up to that flag that has the numbers 1964 across it, and take a moment to tip your caps to the man who wore the number 14.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196409040.shtml

September 3, 2004: Morris Mows Down The Dodgers

 

   On September 3, 2004, with 37,000+ cheering him on, Matt Morris turned in a two hit complete game performance that included 11 strikeouts during a 3-0 win over the Dodgers at Busch. Reggie Sanders put the Birds on the board with an RBI double off of Jose Lima in the second, then to pay him back Lima picked up the first Dodgers hit of the ballgame with a two out single in the third. Morris shook it off and went right back to work by setting the next man down, and after Robin Ventura hit a one out single in the fifth not another man reached base against the big righty. Sanders gave Morris a bit of breathing room in the fifth with a solo shot off of Lima, and the future skipper Mike Matheny extended the lead to 3-0 with a long ball of his own in the seventh. Morris had had his struggles that season, however, he worked his way through them, and turned in his best performance of the year on that day in early September. 

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN200409030.shtml